How We Came To Be
by PoisonBerrie
Summary: I was with Rumplestiltskin; the infamous creature from who knows where. And I was to spend the rest of my life with him. With it.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello guys! I'm a tad rusty from writing fan-fics but I've been so obsessed with Once Upon A Time that I just had to attempt to write one! I love the dynamic of the relationship between Belle and Rumplestiltskin so of course my first OUAT fan-fic had to be about them! Please enjoy and maybe leave some advice for me? Thank you!

The way he looked at me was not like the looks I had received from any man or being ever before. It seemed as though he looked right past me, but looked right at me at the same time. The way he sent shivers down my spine with a single glance of the eye was foreign to me and it terrified me half to death. My home had disappeared, my father gone before my eyes and here I was. Alone. With him. Rumplestiltskin; the infamous creature from who knows where. And I was to spend the rest of my life with him. With it.

It is dim and cold. Describing my feelings so perfectly well. A soft gasp escapes my lips as I look up at the ceiling. It is so high up. A soft, yellow light is emitted from the few lamps, enough to create the presence of shadows, not enough to light up the room.

This place is grand and so was home, but my home was lived in, showed signs of love and happiness. This place however is barren; no personal touches, no one else. A stranger from afar might as well think that this place was empty and had been for many, many years. The rooms remain silent not even the sound of a mouse dared break the silence. Silence that was never present at my home even in the deadest hours of the night seems normal here. Home. This was home now. And would be. As long as I live. Which might not be long. After all, I was alone, so far away from home, with a monster.

A manic giggle disturbed me from my morbid thoughts, and as my eyes met his I was certain he was not a human of any kind. With an elaborate flourish of his hands he asked mockingly '' How do you like your home, my dearie?'' I lowered my eyes it was rude to stare after all. And even now, I am a princess. Nothing less. Even here I must be entirely respectful.

''It is nice.'' I mean to say bravely; instead my voice cracks and trembles. He seems happy, almost ecstatic at my fright, his smile widening into a grin displaying his sharp teeth, which makes me resolve to stay indifferent. I would not allow my dignity to be lost along with my happiness to him. Not to him.

''Well then! After all, you have to stay here for how long?'' He taunts me, his grin widening every second.

I stifle a sob, my knees about to give in. ''Forever.''

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the show Once Upon A Time is not mine. I wish it were though… :b


	2. Chapter 2

''Forever is a long time.'' he seems unsurprised at my fright and at that moment I wonder how he came to be like this. So monstrous, not containing even a spark of humanity.

He watches me intently, making me feel a twinge of discomfort. The silence remains silent; the cold remains cold for what seems like an eternity. Fright traps my tongue rendering me unable to utter a word. I fold my hands and bury them deep in the creases of my dress to stop them from trembling.

I will my heart to stop beating so fast, which doesn't appear to help. Closing my eyes, I try to breathe slowly, trying to think of happier times, which here don't seem to exist. I recall my father, my friends, my kingdom, my fiancé. Gaston. I smile softly and open my eyes to view my kidnapper. He seems perplexed at my smile but confusion is replaced by indifference in the blink of an eye, leaving me to question if it were just a figment of my imagination.

''Sir'' I say, for the want of a better name, ''after today, I am slightly tired. Please show me to my bedchambers.'' I curtsey and he seems slightly amused at my efforts.

''Alright then'' he gestures to the staircase, allowing me to lead the way and I start to make my way up step by step, desperately longing for sleep and comfort. A thought suddenly nudges at the back of my brain and I realise, not for the first time, that I was all alone with a beast and that we were making our way to my bedchambers. Together.

I choke at the thought of what terrible things he could and perhaps would do to me and suddenly halt in the vain attempt of calming myself down.

''Problem, dearie?'' he giggles as I turn my head to face him. He is smirking at me, seemingly aware of what I was thinking about. My lips tighten and a crease forms between my brows as I cling onto the staircase as if it were my lifeline. I shake my head, slowly from left to right and resume my journey up the staircase, my fate approaching closer with every step.

The staircase soon comes to an end and I am greeted with a larger hallway. One lone candle flickers dimly, coming to the end of it's life, however at the last of the wax melting, a new candle appears in its place. I gasp softly and stare at the candle. Rumplestiltskin walks past me calmly and utters a single word, ''magic.''

I don't spare him even a glance, instead keeping my eyes glued on the new candle. I reach out slowly towards the candle and sure enough, it was real; solid and warm. Magic. Something I had spent endless nights reading about in our library. I had read so many tales of magic, good magic, bad magic, simple magic, difficult magic, but never before had I ever encountered anything of the sort.

As I shift my focus away from my thoughts and back to the empty hallway, I realise that Rumplestiltskin was no longer in sight. I sigh irritably, after the day I have had, I deserved rest at least. Letting my eyes search the hallways, I see a small cylindrical window.

I peer out the glass, searching for the moon, which would at least signal that I still had a link to my home. The night is black. There are no stars, no moon, no nearby village. I step forward to get a better view, allowing my finger to rest on the windowpanes. There is nothing. For the rest of my life the only person I would ever know was Rumplestiltskin. The feeling of loneliness overwhelms me and I turn away from the window and back to the empty hall.

Gathering my voluminous skirts in my hands I rush forward, suddenly desperate to find my capturer.

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**Grace5231973:** Thanks haha, I was actually wondering if Belle was too out of character but I decided she had a right to be scared.

**Eyes like Dawn:** Thank you! I will :)

And thanks for following!


	3. Chapter 3

After what seems like endless twists and turns, I find Rumplestiltskin sitting calmly in a chair covered in red velvet, as though he had not a care in the world; legs crossed, engrossed in inspecting his fingernails. At the sound of my arrival, which was not as graceful and ladylike as I had hoped, he raised his head and looked at me with an amused expression.

He rises slowly, dusting off his pants and smiles at me. ''I'm glad you could join me.'' With a snap of his fingers, the chair vanishes, allowing me a second glimpse of magic in the night. I knew it would not be the last.

I straighten my skirts, as my normally smiling lips form a tight line, ''Yes. I got lost.'' His lip curls in distaste, ''would you like me to make you a map, dearie?'' I sense his displeasure, fear returning to crowd my mind, to extinguish my courage.

''No,'' I say, keeping my face emotionless, void of any fear. At this he gestures at the dark chocolate colored door beside him, ''this will be your room.''

With those words he turns on his heel and vanishes into the long corridor. I sigh a soft sigh of relief; he was not entering my bed, at least not tonight. What little remained left of my dignity still remained mine, for at least another night.

I turn the doorknob and the door slowly creaks open. In the blink of an eye, I enter the room and slam the door closed. As I collapse against the door, I allow my bottled up emotions to escape me, in the form of breathless sobs. Hugging my knees, I rock back and forth slowly, cheeks and hair stained with salty tears. I feel like a child again, and what I long for most was my fathers gentle touch, for him to stroke my hair and to whisper words of comfort, but I knew that would never happen again.

By the time I stop crying, it feels like my entire soul is devoid of any energy. I was behaving nothing like the noble lady I usually was; however due to the extreme circumstances, this fact did not register in my mind until I inspect myself in the full-length mirror. To put it nicely, I look like a mess. My face is swollen and red, my eyes are bloodshot and my hair and cheeks are drenched in dried up tears.

I force a tight smile at the mirror, trying to feign happiness. Instead of the happiness I had intended for, I look like I am in severe pain.

My former promise to preserve my dignity by putting on a mask of indifference was no longer preserved; I was entirely broken. I sigh lifelessly, breaking the unbearable silence and instead of sobbing into my arms, I take the time to allow my eyes to devour the room.

The room is unlike the rest of the castle; it is neither as cold nor as unlived in. The crackling fire reminds me of home, of warmth and comfort, the large bed covered in fluffy white sheets reminds me of my desire to sleep. I smile, a genuine smile this time. It was finally time for me to escape reality, to dream of love and happiness, things that would never be available in this forlorn castle.

I fall onto the bed awaiting sleep; instead a sharp pain greets me in my ribs. I furrow my brows and look down, to inspect the cause of my pain.

As my eyes fall over my tight dress, I understand. At home, my maids would aid me in undressing before bedtime, now however; it is my duty and mine alone. I slowly arise from the soft bed, unwilling leaving behind the softness of the quilts.

Bringing my dainty hands behind my back, I attempt to unlace my dress. As a princess, this is one challenge I had never alone, always having a handful of willing maids to assist me with whatever I needed. I am slow and as I undress, I wonder at the skill of my maids who are able to do this tedious task as fast as lightning. There are things I took for granted, I realize for the first time, things that I expected would always be there. But now that they are not, I miss them more than ever.

After what seems like forever, I am only dressed in only my underwear. Out of instinct, I reach out for my nightgown. It is not there. Nothing was there except for the crackling fire and darkness. I do not care. It is late, later than I had ever stayed up before and my eyelids start drooping without control. The last thing I can make out is the darkness, signaling that even the dancing fire had diminished.

**Eyes like Dawn:** Thank you! Yeah, I feel like she's a lot braver than me. ^_^

**Grace5231973: **I promise I'll explain that later! :)

And question: Would you prefer shorter but more frequent updates or longer and less frequent updates?


	4. Chapter 4

**AN**: I'm so sorry guys! I obviously suck at uploading. I'm going to finish this fanfic though, I promise! Hope you enjoy this extremely late addition and thank you to all my loyal readers!

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The first night feels like an eternity, as though it's never going to end. Although my exhaustion causes me to fall into a deep slumber almost immediately, every so often, fear and horror invades my dreamless sleep and causes me to gasp for air. I feel cold hands exploring my face and my body but when I open my eyes, only blackness greets me.

It's so dark, so quiet, and so cold that I start to imagine that the sun would never rise and that this was the end. I'm so accustomed to waking up to the rustling of servants and smell of hot food, that the cold and silence terrified me out of my wits.

Pulling the sheets over my head, I start to hum a familiar tune, my mother taught me years ago as I curl into a small ball. Tears that I thought had run dry, drip slowly down my face once again.

After what seems like hours, the sun starts to emit a soft glow signifying the start of a new day. Never had I been so happy to see the sun, and it was with this mindset that I decide to dress myself. Untangling myself from the blankets, I smile with newfound pleasure, however this smile slowly diminishes as I see the mess I had created in my haste for sleep the previous night.

My dress, my corset, my stockings and shoes were sprawled and spread all over the floor creating an unpleasant sight to the eyes. My previous joyfulness disappears; not at the mess but the realization of what my bleak future contained. Gone were the servants, gone were my family, and gone was the easy life of being royal. Now I was an ordinary servant to Rumplestiltskin no less.

Bubbling anger replaces any feelings of sadness and I start to dress with new vigor, brows furrowed. After I finished dressing, I sit down on the edge of the bed and start to brush my hair, lost in nostalgia and hatred, when suddenly the smell of bacon and eggs greets me.

My stomach growls, waking a hunger that I didn't know was there and I look at the source of this wonderful scent. It seems as though a plate full of food had just magically appeared on the dresser. Carefully, I walk over to inspect the food for signs of poison. Unable to contain myself any longer, I start to dig into my food.

With a full stomach and rational thoughts, my anger and hatred simmers to an end. Rumplestiltskin was my kidnapper but also my kingdoms savior. And for that I am eternally grateful.

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A week had never seemed like a long time before. The most I had ever done in a week was learn to sew a particularly hard pattern. For the first three days, I stay in my room, doing nothing but brushing my hair and eating the provided food. The connected bathroom is particularly convenient, as I don't have to even leave my room. However on the fourth morning, I finally gather enough courage to leave my room.

The halls are much less scary in the daylight and after a few wrong turns, I make my way back to the hall where I had arrived. Sighing, I wonder where to begin cleaning when a familiar voice rings out from beside my ear. ''Here you are dearie.''

I jump, forgetting any trace of fear in my shock and exclaim '' Sir! You scared me!'' Rumplestiltkin giggles his trademark giggle, ''I do have that effect on people.''

His skin seems greener than before, but he is otherwise unchanged. Tilting my head slightly, I examine him further. He is not as terrifying as he seemed in the darkness; instead he is of short stance and quite frail. Rumplestiltskin seems uncomfortable with my stare and walks away to sit at the table. '' I thought perhaps you had killed yourself,'' he says with not a trace of humour. I smile softly despite myself. ''Well, what would my kingdom think?''

''Yes, what indeed?'' Putting his elbows on the table in a most ungentlemanly manner, he leans on his hands and stares at me unblinkingly. It is my turn to feel unnerved.

''May I ask, do you have any cleaning-'' I begin to say, however he interrupts me. Lips curled in distaste, he breaks our stare. ''Cleaning servants? No dearie, no I do not. Is that a problem for your royal majesty?'' At that, Rumplestiltskin stands and bows sarcastically, his bow too low and elaborate to be sincere.

I shake my head quickly, the menacing glare in his eyes not lost upon me. 'No, sir I believe you misunderstood my intent. Cleaning tools was my question. I wish to clean.''

His eyes widen, and I am scared that I have said the wrong thing until he bursts into a giggle. ''A princess cleaning? What will your kingdom think?'' Rumplestiltskin says mockingly, this time, his tone devoid of malice.

I begin to breathe again, unaware that I had stopped in the first place. ''My kingdom will never know. Sir.'' He giggles heartily unlike previously and he shakes his finger.

''Well if it's cleaning tools the princess wants, it's cleaning tools the princess will get.'' With this, various brushes in a bucket appear before me. Smiling, I murmur my thanks, hastily taking the bucket and make my way upstairs to find a place worth cleaning.

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**Grace5231973:**I know right? Wasn't sure if I wrote too much for the first night though, but I guess it's pretty important. Thanks for the review!


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